The Dark Origin of Red Riding Hood
by Island Maiden
Summary: A re-telling of the children's fairy tale; Little Red Riding Hood in a much sinister and tragic light. And how she had come to be known as the girl with the red hooded cloak.


_**The Dark Origin of Red Riding Hood**_

Once upon a time, over several centuries ago, deep within the 'Black forest', close to a small, native village in Germany, there once lived a young girl named Gerda. She was about nine years old with long, black hair, soft complexion and possessed the most beautiful pair of amber eyes that anyone has ever seen.

As a young little girl she happily lives together with both of her parents in a small little cottage, deep within the woods. Her mother was a house wife, while her father made a living as hunter.

Although they didn't exactly have much per say, she was quite content with her simple life and had everything she could ever needed. However, just like every child her age, Gerda has always wanted to have something more.

She always dreamed of having a red – hooded cloak that she could wore every day. But since her family was poor and didn't have the amount of money to afford one for her, she wore a grey one instead.

Xxxxxxxxxx

One day when she was playing outside, she heard her mother calling out for her inside their cottage.

"Gerda come in here at once!"

Once the little girl heard her mother, she quickly rushes into the house where she saw her in the kitchen packing some food in a basket. "You called for me mother?" Gerda asked her mother kindly, with a soft voice.

In return the adult woman glanced down at her daughter, replying with a stern tone in her voice. "Here..." she said handing the food basket to her daughter. "Your grandmother has been feeling awfully sick lately, so I want you to take this basket of food to her, so she might feel better. There's bread, cheese, fruits and wine in the basket, so be sure not to drop it, understood?"

Gerda's mother explained, her tone voice indicating she would not tolerate any disobedience from her daughter.

"Don't worry mother I understand perfectly well." Gerda said taking the food basket from her mom and grabbing her grey cloak and left the house, heading straight to her grandmother's home at the other side of the woods.

Xxxxxxxxxx

As she walked through the dark woods further away from her cottage with a big grin on her face, Gerda couldn't help but feel happy that she's going to see her grandmother again.

She loved her grandmother so much and likes to visit her, every time she goes into the woods to play. But lately there has been a nasty drought around the region and her parents has refuse to let her go visit her grandma, in order for her to help them at home with work.

Gerda felt bad that she could not be able to see her grandmother anymore and with each day that goes by the poor young girl misses the elderly woman even more.

Gerda and her grandma love doing everything with each other and each time Gerda would pay the elderly lady a visit, she would always be there happily to greet her granddaughter with open arms, and they would often baked apple pies together.

But today she was glad her mother had sent her to grandma's house. It's been about four months they haven't seen each other and Gerda was excited to see the elderly woman again. As she continues on walking deeper into the forest, she passes a field covered with flowers and Gerda thought she might as well pick a few to bring for her sick grandmother.

Although it was a good and thoughtful idea, and it seems to look like a beautiful day to have fun in the forest, Gerda was unaware that she should not be roaming the woods all alone by herself and more importantly; unarmed.

Because lately, there has been reports scattering around the nearby village that a dangerous assassin has escaped from prison and has last been seen hiding in the 'The Black Forest'. Witnesses who said they have seen him describe him as a tall, lanky dark figure with skin; pale as death itself, teeth as sharp as blades and eyes as red like the color of freshly, warm blood.

They said he called himself _'The Wolf'_ and he was notoriously known by everyone in region for his wicked and sadistic way of torturing his victims before assassinating them in cold blood.

His murders were so horrifying and inhuman that there were even some who actually believed that he was not even human, but more likely a demon in disguise. And some villagers even go as far to theories that he sold his own soul to the devil because of it.

Furthermore, his first murder was rumored to be of his own family, which he despised so much till this day, before he eventually maul them to death.

But unfortunately Gerda like every child her age was completely oblivious to the impending danger that was lurking around her.

Xxxxxxxxxx

After a few hours that has passed, young Gerda had already reach halfway to her grandmother's house. As she was crossing by a small bridge over a small river stream, she encountered the village's woodcutter and she decided to greet him.

"Good day Mr. Woodcutter." Gerda addresses him politely.

"Good day to you too Miss." He greeted back. "Where are you going on this fine morning?" he asked Gerda.

Gerda hesitate to answer because her parents had always tell her to be wary and never talk to strangers or anyone she doesn't really know. Even though the woodcutter was well known by everyone in the village for his kind and approachable character, no one seems to know anything about him. He has a reputation to be a very private person and live his life as a loner.

But she decided to answer anyway, thinking what harm it could bring.

"At my grandmother's house at the other side of the forest, she is feeling sick so I'm bringing this basket of food for her so she could feel a lot better." Gerda explained, gesturing to the food basket she is carrying in her arm. The woodcutter nodded his head in consideration, however he needs to know something else just in case. "Are you going alone Miss?"

"Yes, I am."

The woodcutter frowns lightly.

"Well okay... just be careful then, lately people have been talking about a dangerous assassin hiding in the woods, so make sure you don't run into trouble, okay?" Gerda nodded her head as she attentively listens to the woodcutter's warning.

"But what will I do if he tries to hurt me sir?" She asked her voice visibly lining with fear. She didn't really like the idea of running into the assassin and end up with her blood spattered everywhere. The woodcutter thought for a second and after a moment an idea came to him. "Here..." he said handing Gerda something that looked like a dagger.

Gerda look at the knife for a moment before hesitantly took it.

It was beautiful and yet, dangerously sharp. Its blade was curved and shiny with her reflection showing in it and its handle was in the colour of dark red, with a small ruby gem attached into it in the middle. "You can use this knife to protect yourself, if he tried to attack you okay?"

Gerda nodded her head and placed the knife in her basket, thanking the woodcutter for his help.

"Thank you so much sir, I will do as you said."

"You are very welcome miss. Now I must be off, I have some woods to sell, take care of yourself child." The woodcutter bid her farewell as he walk off. "I will sir don't worry."

Xxxxxxxxxx

After the conversation between Gerda and her new friend; The Woodcutter, the young ravenette continuously headed straight to grandmother's house. While she was walking, a troublesome idea came into her mind. Did her parents knew about the assassin? If that were so, then why didn't they warn her about it until now, before she left?

The thought kept on nagging at her all the way to her grandmother's cottage. Gerda tried ignore the terrifying possibility, as she could not dare to fathom that her very own mother and father would actually and purposely put her in danger... Right?

" _What am I thinking?!_ "

Feeling ashamed to think that way about her parents. She reasoned with herself saying that: her parents and she lived deep in the woods. And so, news from the village sometimes does not reach them. And the one about the assassin did not reach them.

And did not told her.

However, upon her arrival at her grandmother's house, Gerda would never forget what she saw that forever destroyed into her innocent mind...

Her grandmother was outside... Dead... On the ground, with blood covering her corpse. Her body was mutilate badly beyond recognition. Her limbs and eyes were torn off along with her internals and placed separately from her.

The cottage has been burned down and dark smoke hovered into the air, alongside with the foul smell of rotten flesh filling the atmosphere, Gerda dropped her basket and immediately rushes to her grandmother's side, which she immediately regrets, because as soon she came into close perimeters to her grandmother's corpse, bile quickly rushes to her mouth and she vomit.

And no sooner than later, a scream break through her mouth in shear horror.

The scene before her was so terrifying that she started to cry as an overwhelming sadness crashed upon her for the lost of her beloved grandmother.

"Oh grandma, who was that monster who did this to you?" She sobbed uncontrollably, tears spilling out her ochre colored eyes as she looks at her deceased grandmother. "That my dear... so happened to be me." An ill-omened voice said behind her, causing Gerda to whirl around in fear at its direction. There she saw a dark, threatening figure with blood – red eyes looking at her in the shadows.

Gerda's own eyes widen in terror as she takes a few step back, away from the figure.

"W... Who are y... you?"

The figure stepped forward and Gerda could see it was a man dressed in black clothing, which included a dark hooded cloak covering his head, with some blood-stain on it. Gerda gasps when she saw blood all over him. As soon she saw the blood she had no doubt in her mind that this man was the one responsible for her grandmother's death.

"I my dear, they called me _'_ _The_ _Wolf_ _'_ I'm an assassin who was ordered by my master to kill your grandmother, rob her house and to kidnap you." The 'wolf' explained.

"Why does your master want to kidnap me and kill my grandma?" Gerda asked her voice filled with both sorrow and fear.

"It seems that your imbecilic parents owned my master a lot of money and they weren't able to pay back in time, so in order to pay back their depts. They decided to sold you and make me rob your grandmother's house."

Gerda could not believe what she heard. She shook her head in denial trying to convince herself not to believe the assassin's words, but find herself losing the battle. Her breathing started to turn heavy as more tears happens to form in her eyes. "No..." she shook her head hysterically, "That is not true! My mother and father would never in their life do such a cruel thing!" she screamed at him.

"Sadly, you could not be more wrong my dear." The 'wolf' said, looking at her with sinister red eyes.

"You see, before you were birth, your parents worked for my master." He continued on. "During that time, they borrowed from him a lot of money which they couldn't be able to afford back. To make it worse when your mother became heavy with you, they weren't able to gain enough money to pay off their depts. So they ran away together hoping to escape the penalty they would receive for their incompetence. But sadly..." he pauses before giving the poor girl a disturbing grin. "They we're fools. And after a decade of waiting, we finally confront them, to make them pay..."

"That is until they offer us a compromise... You."

Gerda shook her head in horror. "No..." It couldn't be!?

"No... That's not true!" Gerda gripped her head in hysteria as river of tears flooded down her pale cheeks. "You are lying!"

The wolf just laughs diabolically at the poor girl showing off his animalistic teeth. He was about to pull out his knife, that he used to kill Gerda's grandmother with it in attempt to reprimand her with it, but all of a sudden, he felt a sharp blade impale into the side of his left leg.

He instantly stopped laughing and shriek out in pain and look down to see Gerda had injured him with the dagger the woodcutter had given her.

Blood gush out of his wounded leg heavily. He was shock for a moment but after that he immediately regain his composure and he instantly felt anger rush possessed him.

Now he was done fooling around. His eyes glowed an unholy crimson color with rage.

He was angry!

Xxxxxxxxxx

Gerda shook her head violently in both denial and grief as she tries not to let the wolf's words sink into her mind. " _No! He's lying... h-he's l-l-lying!_ " But she found it to be impossible because his explanation kept on repeating its self all over and over again in her mind.

She could feel her mind breaking apart from within, as tears spread out of her eyes. "No... That is not true! You are lying!" she yelled at the assassin and to her shock she saw him laughing at her reaction.

 _That... that..._ _monster!_ How could he possibly found this funny?! He killed her grandmother as if she was nothing important and he found the grief she is feeling... Amusing?! What kind of heartless person is he!?

In that very moment something happened inside of Gerda... she didn't exactly know what but...

Something broke lose... Something shattered... Something _snapped!_

 _A_ _ll of her sadness she was feeling vanished completely, all her rational feelings were gone... it was now replaced with something else. Something... dark. Something... violent. Something..._ _dangerous_ _._ _Something..._ _Blood-thirsty_ _._

 ** _Rage_** _..._

 ** _Hatred_** _..._

 ** _Insanity_** _..._

 _That was entirely what she felt at that very moment!_

 _And all she wanted now was to_ _kill_ _..._ _destroy_ _..._ _and_ _tear_ _this monster's disgusting heart out and watch as all the blood drain completely from his body until there's nothing left!_

With all of the strength she could mustered into her body, Gerda rushed towards the wolf, in top speed, grab her knife from her basket and drove it deeply into his leg; easily tearing through the muscle of his leg, as if it was soft butter, fracturing the bone, until a sickening sound of something breaking was heard. As soon as she saw blood gushing out the wound she create, Gerda let out a satisfying smile across her lips.

Xxxxxxxxx

The wolf let out ear-piercing scream, filled with pain, sending the birds in the woods to fly off in fear.

He quickly grabs Gerda by her hands, forcing her to drop the dagger that was painted in crimson liquid. Angry blood – red eyes meets frightful yellowish-brown ones. "You're going to pay for that Deary." He snarls darkly pulling his own knife out his holster and steady it, in attempt to stab Gerda.

However as soon he was about to plunged the knife into the poor girl's body a large swiping sound came behind him and in just a mere second the assassin's fell to the ground motionless with his head cut off from his body.

Gerda seeing the decapitated head of her grandmother's killer getting cut off, scream out in fright, but at the same time she also felt a bit relieve now that he was dead. She looks up to see who her mysterious knight in shining armor that have saved her from a close encounter with the Grim Reaper, and to her surprise it was the woodcutter.

She quickly rushes towards him and embrace him in both relief and fear, as tears flowed out her eyes. "It is okay Miss... its over." The woodcutter cooed to the sobbing young girl hugging her back.

After Gerda had left, his instinct suggests he should follow the young girl just in case. And it was right. He quickly react and killed that assassin once he saw he was about to hurt Gerda after she had stab him in his leg.

"Oh, Mr. Woodcutter it was awful." Gerda continued to sob. "He killed my grandma."

"I know Miss... I know."

Xxxxxxxxxx

After that Gerda and her friend the Woodcutter did a little funeral for Gerda's beloved grandmother and as they buried her, Gerda uses the bouquet of flowers that she picked for her grandmother and placed it on her grave as she tearfully said her final goodbye to her, one last time.

The woodcutter after hearing what had happened, he decided to help Gerda avenge her grandmother's unjustly death. He said, "Gerda... You have seen what people like your parents here are capable of. This is not a merciful place. If you wishes to come with me, I can teach you everything I know, but if you wanted revenge against them... you know what to do."

Gerda listens to the woodcutter's words and nodded her head.

He was right.

After what she had seen and learned today, Gerda felt like her innocence had been forcefully taken away from her (along with her grandmother) and all she wanted now is retribution for what her parents had done.

She grabbed her knife and quickly headed back to her parents house. This time ignoring the flowers and everything around her.

Only one thing remains in her mind now.

And that is _REVENGE!_

By the time she reached her house, dusk has already settle in and the forest was completely envelope in the darkness of the night. As she was crossing by the kitchen window, she saw both her parents inside the house laughing and talking how without Gerda, there wouldn't be a lot of mouth to feed. Gerda clenched both her knife and teeth, feeling boiling, white anger course through her blood to learn that her parents did not feel any remorse for their wrong doing.

 _ **They're even worse than the Wolf himself**._

Having heard enough, she quickly hurried into the house with a murderous look on her face. And before her parents had time to reacted or plead for mercy she quickly rush towards them with a ferocious speed, screaming bloody-murder and violently plunged her knife into them multiple times killing them both instantly. Cries of anguish and masses of crimson blood splattered everywhere in the house, staining anything that was in close reach.

She continued to stab her parents over and over and over again, their blood staining her grey hood dyeing it permanently red. As soon she was finished Gerda smiled happily to herself. Not in an innocent way, but in an evil sick way that only a madman could.

She was finally happy. Happy to have at last her precious red – hooded cloak that she has always wanted. Ignoring the gruesome massacre she had just commit, Gerda walked near a mirror that was across the room and look at herself in her 'new' hooded – cloak.

And she was taken aback to at what she saw. Her eyes. Her once beautiful ember colored eyes was now a pure blood color. Just like for the wolf's. At first Gerda was a little concerned at what had happened to her. But then she started twitching uncontrollably, until finally she burst into hysterical fit of laughter.

She laugh and laugh and laugh.

But not an innocent laugh. It was a bone frightening, psychotic laugh that resonated across the night, which anyone can describe as pure evil.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Centuries passed and the legend said that she ran away and trained with the woodcutter and that she had become a dangerous and fearsome high - class assassin that was dreaded throughout the entire region of Germany.

People had forgotten her real name, she was now known by the name; _Red Riding Hood_ _._

 _ **THE END**_


End file.
